Posted inVisual Arts

Art Review: Mindshapes

Just as realism is frequently touched by the fantastic, abstraction is rarely total. Even non-figurative art is made from materials, and materials often have strong connotations. Art House Productions is calling their new abstract show Mindscapes, which suggests a private, insular experience, something quiet, untethered to the rhythms of the practical world.

Posted inVisual Arts

Art Review: Maps Everywhere

Maps tell lies.  Oh, they may get you where you want to go, but they’ll whisper distortions in your ear as you travel. The Mercator Projection of the earth — perhaps the most famous map in history — has misled millions by exaggerating the size of land masses at polar latitudes and diminishing the tropics.

Posted inPerforming Arts

Thirteen Places in Town to See Live Music

Five years ago, a column like this one wouldn’t have been possible. Not that Jersey City didn’t have the bands, or the talent, or the vision; those have always been here. Shows, though—those weren’t on the calendar. Writing about music in Jersey City meant coming face to face with a performance-space shortage that was as inexplicable as it was frustrating. A city of a quarter million people simply didn’t contain many reliable and regularly booked music venues.